Carbonator



Feb. 28. 1928.

P. w. SHIELDS ET AL CARBONATOR Filed Sept. 29, 1922 TEMPERATURE tutbmwmk INVENTOBS M Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

UNITE 5ST TE 5 Tear spice.

PATRICK VJ. SHIELDS, 0F PITTSBURGH, AND LCUIS DE BZAEKUS, OF MONTROSE,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 MCKENNA BRASS 65 MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC.,OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A GOREOBATION OE PENNSYLVANIA.

GARBONATOR.

Application filed September 29, 1922. Serial No. 591,285

The present invention relates broadly to bottling sott drinks whichrequire a 0. 111- ps at y l w a b na on, an t a m th of effecting thedesired carbonation.

In the soft drink industr, it is common practice to carbonate or chargeordinary water with from 2 to 8 times its own volume of carbon dioxide,the degree of carbonation dependin on the product desired. In ordi narycarj onators there is usually provided an excess of carbon dioxide toinsure carbonation up to the saturation point of the waterat carbonatortemperature and pressure, As with certain drinks, such for examp asimitati n grape r ks, it is d sirable to provide only sufiicient carbondioxide to impart the desired palatable charac isti s to h d ink, t willbe appa en that a .carbonator which effects carbonation up tosubstantially the saturation point would not be suitable tor directlysupplying its water to a bottling machine bottling drinks of thischaracter.

By the present invention there is provided improved means for supplyingcarbonated water of the proper characteristics o bottl g ma h n t ngderstood that the term bottling as used 1. 6. 9 in is definitive both ofbottle filling and bottle filling and capping machines.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for purposes ofillustration only a certain embodiment of the present invention, thesedrawings being largely diagrammatic and representing apparatus which maybe of any desired construction and in which changes may, be made in theconstruction and operation without departing from the spirit or scope ofour broader claims.

In the drawings:

igure 1 is a chart in rectangular coordinates showing the relationbetween temper ature, pressure, and saturation pointof carbon dioxide inwater, and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one embodiment of thisillyention.

Experience in the use .of bottling machines has demonstrated theadvisability of supplying thereto, where carbonated water isrequired,carbonated water at comparatiyeiy definite pressures; These pressuresvary with di'iferent machines in accordance with the design thereof, buteach particular machine operates efficiently only over a comparativelydefinite pressure range. By the resen n n ion it s poss no on y toeffect the desired carbonation, but to ply the carbonated water at thepressure required by the bottling machine.

Referring first to the chart of Figure 1, the horizontally extendingdotted line repre sents the pressure at which the bottling machine, notshown in the drawings, is best adapted to operate. The lowest andhighest temperatures at which tap water is found during the year, arerepresented respectively by the reference characters 5 and t During thecold months the water temperature will be close to 13, while it willapproach t during the hotter months. An average conditiou is arbitrarilyrepresented by t. The intersection of a line drawn from t with thedotted line representing bottling machine pressure will show that underthese conditions the saturation point of the water is at about aivolumes. As has been before referred to, a carbonator which iscommercially eflicient will produce a substantially saturated solutionat temperature and pressure, the pressure and temperature beingdetermined respectively by pressure of the bottling machine and thetemperature of the tap water.

This degree of carbonation, viz: substantial saturation, is notsuitable, tor the reasons pointed out, for use in bottling certain softdrinks requiring lo carbonation. It is extremely diflicult, if n timpossible, with known apparatus to efiect uniform carbonation atunder-saturation in ordinary carb onators. This has been .due to thedifii- ,culty encountered in maintaining the desired pr port of W t andcarbon (dioxid y this n i n th c bcnat r is ope ated in its normal wayto produce substantial saturation and then this substantially saturatedwater is treated to render it capable of absorbing additional carbondioxide. This result rnay be accomplished in different ways, either byincreas ng the pressure after carbonation as disclosed our eo-p'endiugapplication serial No.- 591;

289, filed September 2 922, or by diluting the substantially saturatedwater with any desired amount of sweet or uncarbonated water asspecifically isclosed hereinafter.

cult to Figure 2 of th" airing on. is illustrated diagrammatically acarbonator 2 which is adapted to carbonate substantially to saturation,as is customarily done. This carbonator may be provided with any desiredconnection 3 for supplying the car-son diox de thereto. The water to becarbonated. may be supplied under a definite pressure, preferablycorresponding to the bottling machine pressure, by a suitable pump 4having an inlet 5 and an outlet 3 operati connected to the carbonator.The carbonated water may leave the carbenator through a suitableconnection 7 leading to mixing chamber 8 of any desired construction. Inthis chamber the water is treated, by the addition of sweet waterthereto, whereby an under-saturated solution, containing a definitepercentage 0t carbon dioxde with respect to the total volume of water,is produced.

Vve have found that this result may advantageously be produced byproviding a bypass 9 leading from the outlet 6 of the pump to the mixingchamber. This bypass is preferably constructed to have the flowtherethrough automatically proportioned to the flow of Water from thecarbonator in order to efiect the desire definite carbonation. This maybe accomp ished by providing in the bypass 9 a suitable valve 10 whichis operatively connected to a diaphragm 11. This diaphragm may bemounted in a casing 12 of any usual construction, and is subjected onone side thereof to the pressure of the carbonated Wate in the pipe 7 bya. suitable passage 13, and on its opposite side, by a pas sage 14, issubjected to the pressure of the sweet water just prior to its entranceinto the mixing chamber. In order to insure the proper proportioningbetween the carbonated and the sweet water, the carbonated waterpreferably enters the mixing Chamber through a calibrated orifice 15.The sweet water likewise may be supplied to the mixing chamber 8 througha similar orifice 16. The orifice 16, however, is provided. with aregulating valve 17 by means of which the extent of opening of thisorifice may be regulated. It will be apparent that this constructionproduces a dilterential pressure on opposite sides of the diaphragm 11,which pressure is in turn effective for automatically controlling theposition of the valve 10 and thereby maintaining the desiredproportions.

To insure proper intermingling of the sweet and carbonated waters, themixing chamber may be provided with agitating means such as battles 18.From the mixing chamber the Water, which is now under-saturated, maypass to the bottling machine (not shown) through a suitable connection19.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the pump 4 may beoperated at a speed which will insure the supp of a total a ant of watertirough the m ing chamcr which is just suihcient to meet the demands ofthe bottling machine. In this anner, it is possible to obviate the useof b e c. ctionable storage tanks, and the like. TllS constructionprovides a continuously r nning carbonating apparatus of simpleconstruction.

If desired, there may be provided a supplemental valve 20 adapted tocompletely close the calibrated orifice 15. With such a construction, byclosing the valve 20 the apparatus may be used for the bottling of stillgoods requiring no carbonation. When operating in this manner, the waterwill be supplied through the line 5 at a pressure lower than thebottling machine pressure, the pressure will be raised by the pump 4 tothe desired bottling machine pressure and this water will then be fed tothe bottling machine. At such times, it will be obvious that thecarbonator 2 functions merely as a loading chamber automaticallymaintaining the desired bottling pressure for the sweet water.

The advantages of the present invention arise from the provision of acarbonating apparatus and method of carbonating for use in connectionwith bottling machines by means of which uniformly carbonated water atunder-saturation may be. expeditiously produced.

Further advantages of this in vcntion arise from the provision of acontinuously running carbonator which does not require storage tanks andthe usual appurtenances thereof.

We claim:

1. In. a carbonating apparatus, a Water pump having a divided discharge,a carbonator communicating with one division of said discharge, a.mixing chamber communh eating with the other division of said discharge, a connection between said carbonator and said mixing chamber,and a dis charge connection from said mixing chamber, substantially asdescribed.

In a carbonating apparatus. a water pump having a divided discharge, acarbonator communicating with one of the divisions of said discharge, aregulator communicating with another division of said discharge, amixing; chamber operatively connected to both the carbonator and saidregulator, and a discharge connection from said mixing chamber,substantially as described.

3. In a carbonating apparatus, a mixing chamber, a pump, a plurality of:Water sup ply lines between said pump and said mixing chamber, and meansin one of said supply ill) lines for carbonating the Water flowingtherewater flowing therethrough to substantially through substantiallyas described. the saturation point, substantially as de- 4. In acarbonating apparatus, a mixing scribed. 10 chamber, a continuouslyoperating pump In testimony whereof We have hereunto 5 having a divideddischarge supplying Water set our hands.

to the mixing chamber, and means in one PATRICK WV. SHIELDS. portion ofthe discharge for carbonating the LOUIS DE MARKUS.

